Qinwen Zheng offered no excuses after she slumped to an early exit from the Australian Open, while Mirra Andreeva came from behind to win. (More Tennis News)
πLast year's runner-up was defeated 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 by Germany's Laura Siegemund, who is the oldest player remaining in the women's draw, at 36.
π World number five Zheng, who won gold at the Paris Olympics last year and reached the final of the season-ending WTA Finals, conceded she fell short of her best levels.
π½She told reporters: "I felt maybe today is not my day. There were a lot of details in the important points, where I didn't make the right choice.
π¬"I had lots of chances to break her in the first set, but in that moment maybe my concentration was not there. I made easy mistakes in those moments.
κ¦"I didn't perform well enough. At the same time, I felt she played really well."
π Siegemund, on the other hand, felt she brought her best tennis as she claimed her first win over a top-10 player since 2022 to claim a spot in round three, equalling her best ever performance at the Australian Open.
πΌShe said: "I knew I had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free.
π"She's an amazing Player. One of the best players right now. I know I can play well. I just wanted to show that to myself and make it a tough fight."
ο·ΊAt the other end of the age spectrum to Siegemund is 17-year-old Andreeva, who continued her fine form with a remarkable comeback against Moyuka Uchijima.
π€‘Andreeva prevailed 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10-8) in a two-hour 19-minute thriller.
ά«The Russian, who reached the French Open semi-finals last year, has now won 17 grand slam singles ties, and is just one win shy of matching Coco Gauff's tally of major match victories before turning 18.
α£Andreeva will face Poland's Magdalena Frech in round three.
